


Taking the Plunge

by Skywinder



Series: Missing Piece AU [3]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, M/M, Pre-Series, Pre-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-26
Updated: 2014-08-26
Packaged: 2018-02-14 20:24:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2201898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skywinder/pseuds/Skywinder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just before Beachcomber goes on leave, he goes down to Perceptor's lab at Wheeljack's request.  During their conversation, Perceptor comes to a personal decision.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Taking the Plunge

**Author's Note:**

  * For [grayseeker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/grayseeker/gifts).



> Besides asking me for a piece about Jetfire, grayseeker also decided she liked my hints of Perceptor and Beachcomber as a possible pairing for the story and wanted to see something with just the two of them. Took me some doing, but I came up with something, and I must admit, I enjoyed the idea of trying my hand at a pretty rare pairing.
> 
> Sorry if it comes across as a bit OOC here. I've never written Beachcomber before, and I found very little that helped me really get a good grasp of his character either through other fan stories or TFWiki. But even so, I hope it's enjoyed by you all at least just a little.
> 
> The events of the story take place between chapters 3 & 4 of [Missing Piece](http://archiveofourown.org/works/890098).

* * *

"Heya, Perce."

Perceptor looked up from the experiment on the plutonium he was running at the sound of the calm, familiar voice to see a visored blue and white mech standing in the doorway to his lab. His optics widened. "Beachcomber. Hello..." he said, trying to force his voice to be flat, toneless. "What brings you to my lab today?" He turned back to the vials he was working with.

Beachcomber shrugged. "Jack asked me to look in on ya before I left," he said casually as he walked into the lab. "Said he's been worried about ya lately since you're always in here and don't really come out much 'cept to get your ration once in a while."

Perceptor glanced at the easy-going mech with a faint smile. "That was good of him, but really, you did not need to. He could have come himself if he was that concerned."

Beachcomber plopped down at a chair next to a table where a bunch of scientific journals lay and leaned back. "He said he was gonna, but Celsion needed to talk to him about somethin' or other and he couldn't get out of it." He set his feet on the table, a bit too close to the journals for Perceptor's comfort. "And it wasn't like it was any trouble," he finished with another shrug.

Perceptor just stared at him a moment, then shook his head. "I see." Somehow, he highly doubted that excuse his friend had fed Beachcomber, considering that the so-called meeting with Celsion had been held just the previous day cycle and Celsion only met with Wheeljack once an orn. An emergency or unexpected happenstance would change that, to be sure, but the engineer certainly wouldn't have had the time to approach Beachcomber and say something to him were that the case.

He could only think of one reason why Wheeljack would do something like this. _I wish to Primus he never learned about those letters I was writing_ , Perceptor thought ruefully. Although to be fair, Perceptor _had_ forgotten to lock the door that day cycle, and he usually _did_ allow his friends to come in without knocking, so perhaps it was his own fault on that count.

But he really couldn't wait for the day when Wheeljack found some mech or femme. Then the paybacks would begin, he thought with a small internal smirk.

"You said you were leaving," he continued idly, turning around to face the mech and leaning against the table. "Might I ask where?"

"Got leave. Goin' back to Tygar Pax for a couple orns, then goin' to a settlement near the Sea of Rust. Pal of mine, Seaspray, found some weird geologic development somewhere in there and wanted my opinion on it." the blue and white mech shrugged again. "After that, headin' for Iacon."

Perceptor frowned slightly at this information. Beachcomber was a good geologist, to be sure, but there really was nothing in Iacon that would need the attention of that particular field. The surrounding landscape, perhaps, would be of some interest to those who studied the planetary formations. But the actual city was more a governmental center than any real scientific one. Curious, he asked, "Why Iacon? The other excursions I can understand, but what would be in Iacon that would make you want to go there?"

"Tran said he needed some information about the Vosian landscape," Beachcomber said, leaning back in the chair. "Didn't say why."

Perceptor felt a bit uneasy now. Tran was a big tank of a mech who was in his class a long time ago and had never really liked Seekers that much, transferring to Iacon University after it became apparent that Starscream was making a success of himself in spite of the prejudices of a handful at the Academy. He'd done well enough there, gaining the patronage of a Senator, Perceptor had heard. But Tran's specialty had been Weapons Development, not Geology...

 _Something's not right._ Perceptor knew he spent a lot of time in the lab, but he would usually spend part of the evening cycle after leaving watching the news feeds after returning to his home. He knew of the rallies that were going on in Kaon, and how patches of support had sprung up all over Cybertron, not least in Vos.

When Starscream had left that orn, three thousand vorns back, Perceptor had thought it was a mistake for Starscream to throw away his career, even though he'd understood the Seeker's reasons why he was going. Now, with the riots and rallies that were occurring more and more, the microscope wondered if perhaps his friend had had the right idea after all, even if he couldn't have known what would happen.

Perceptor just hoped it got no worse. And that his concerns were unwarranted.

"Hey," the amused voice broke into his thoughts. "Cybertron to Perce." Perceptor looked sharply at the coastskimmer, who grinned widely and held up his hands in surrender. "Ya looked like you were a million light-years away. Thought that was how I was supposed ta look."

The red mech shook his head. "Just thinking, is all."

The grin didn't fade from the blue and white's face. "Is that what I smelled burnin'?"

Perceptor raised a browridge and Beachcomber once more lifted his hands in a placating gesture. "Just teasin'."

The red mech just shook his head exasperatedly and changed the subject. "When are you leaving?" 

"In a couple a' cycles," was the answer.

"And when are you expecting to come back?"

"About six orns from now."

Perceptor nodded. "I will wish you a safe trip then. Now, if you will excuse me..." He turned back to his experiment.

For the briefest of moments, a glint passed across the visor. "Actually, I was kind of hopin' you'd want to see me off," the geologist said quietly, almost sadly. "Got no one here 'sides you and Jack, and he's been pretty busy lately, so..."

Perceptor froze. He'd never heard Beachcomber sound like that before, at least not with him. The mech was usually mellow and easy-going, didn't seem to have a care in the world. But right at that moment, he sounded like he'd lost his best friend...

 _"You know, you really should be honest with Beachcomber, Percy."_ The mischievous voice of his old friend broke into his thoughts.

 _It's not the same. He'll be back soon enough, and I'll have time then._ But then again, Starscream and Skyfire thought they'd have time to reach their goals, too...There were riots going on and Beachcomber was no fighter. The chances were slim admittedly, but if something did happen...

The image of Starscream falling apart in front of him played across his memory banks. The microscope's mouth became a very thin line and he set the vials down.

Perceptor turned around to see Beachcomber heading out the door and cleared his intakes. When the other mech turned around, he said in the calmest voice he could muster, "You know, on second thought, I would be glad to see you off. If you would allow me a few kliks to put everything aside, I will join you in the commissary afterward, so that we might have a cube before you go."

Beachcomber flashed a grin. "I'll be waitin'!" he said, once more in that mellow voice of his, and was out the door.

Perceptor shook his head ruefully.

 _Wheeljack and Cosmos will never let me live this one down. Starscream, either, when he finally learns of it_ , he thought half-amusedly.

But at least they wouldn't tease him about the letters anymore.


End file.
